Stuck Truck with 16 Missiles Shuts Down North Idaho Interstate

POST FALLS, Idaho (KLIX)- A semi-truck hauling 2,000 pound missiles forced the closure of a north Idaho interstate after it got stuck in a snow bank on Friday afternoon.

According to Idaho State Police, Interstate 15 at the Huetter rest area had to be shut down for about two hours while crews determined a semi-truck hauling 16 missiles were not a hazard after it had gotten stuck.

The driver, 47-year-old Mark Dearinger, of Chickasha, OK, of a Volvo semi was going through the port of entry at around 7:14 p.m. when he accidentally went into a hazmat containment area instead of the interstate on-ramp. ISP says the driver went over a large snow bank at the end of the containment area and disabled the truck.

Dearinger was not injured, but he did get a ticket from State Police for inattentive driving. The rest areas the incident happened at was between the cities of Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls.